Books for the Backpack: Best Books to Help Prep Your Little One for School

With the first day of school quickly approaching, each critter has some school jitters unique to them. Even their teacher is a little bit nervous about the new school year. Together, they all work together to ease their jitters and find that school isn’t so scary after all! With funny and reassuring text presented alongside beautiful illustrations, this picture makes a great school story time read for new students. 

Mo Willems is the king of making kids laugh, and The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! is both hilarious and adorable, making it the perfect back to school read. The Pigeon has all kinds of concerns about school, and this book is all about how he’ll handle it. 

A delightful and hilarious picture book about a T-Rex named Penelope who’s eager to meet her classmates. The problem? Human friends are hard to make when they’re so tasty! A story guaranteed to make the most nervous kids laugh, this picture book is the perfect story to banish those first day jitters and help school become less nerve-wracking and more exciting. 

This story goes out to the confident kids, the ones who are absolutely elated that they’re stepping into their first day of school. It follows a little boy excited to be starting kindergarten and takes the whole day in stride, and with confidence so contagious, this book is certain to inspire and empower any kid eager to start their first day of kindergarten.  

The companion to the New York Times bestseller The King of Kindergarten has arrived! The Queen of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes (I am Every Good Thing, Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut) and Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Mary Had a Little Glam) is worthy of all the fanfare as MJ prepares for her first day of kindergarten. Whether you’re getting ready for your first day of school or just in need of some empowering joy, The Queen of Kindergarten is a must-have. 

If your little one is a little nervous about fitting in and whether they’ll belong at school, pick up All Are Welcome. This picture book is all about a school where diversity and inclusion are celebrated, and readers will get to follow a group of kids throughout their day at the school! 

The perfect story for any kid a little nervous about their first day in a new school, this book is all about how it can be hard to find the courage to get to know others when you feel different from everyone else. Full of lyrical text and brilliant illustrations, The Day You Begin is a must-read. 

From cartoonist extraordinaire and illustrator of the Ordinary People Change the World series, Christopher Eliopoulos, comes The Giggles are Coming. The hilarious companion to The Yawns are Coming brings back our friends for the first day of school but, this time, they need to be extra careful because … the giggles are coming! It’s a fresh take on back-to-school, but this irresistibly charming ode to laughter will be enjoyed by kids of all ages. 

We all know a Stanley the Dog. If you don’t believe me, just look in the mirror. New beginnings can be scary. Where do I go? What do I do? Why am I here? Stanley the Dog: The First Day of School is a great way to not just embrace our fears but move forward past ruff thoughts so we can enjoy these new experiences. Bobby Bones knows how to entertain us on the tv and radio and now, with the help of the good boy that is Stanley the Dog, he’s got our attention for story time.